Appeal Court upturns death sentence on 40-yr-old man

A 40- year- old man, Terhire Dega who was sentenced to death by a Jalingo High Court, would now heave a sigh of relief as the Appeal Court sitting in Yola, Adamawa State Capital has upturned the judgment of the lower court.
The lower court had found him guilty of armed robbery and sentenced him to death.
Terhire Dega was accused of robbing one Ahmadu Yahaya of N60, 000 at gun point and was arrested on September 13, 2007. Items recovered from him were the sum of N1, 200.00, Indian hemp, charm and rings. He was charged to court for armed robbery, an act contrary to section 1 (2) (a) and (b) of the Fire Arms Act. He was sentenced to death by a High Court in Jalingo
Dissatisfied with the death sentence, the appellant through his counsel filed an appeal on November 13, 2013 at the Appeal Court in Yola challenging the judgment of the lower court in Jailngo
Delivering judgment, Justice Jimi Olukayode Dada held that the conviction of the appellant was based entirely on a confessional statement which the appellant denied persistently making. “Where the accused person contends that he did not make the statement voluntarily, it could be rejected and the court would not rely on it.”